Levy Helen, DeLeire Thomas
Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson St., Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248, USA.
Inquiry. 2008;45(4):365-79. doi: 10.5034/inquiryjrnl_45.04.365.
Using data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, this study compares household spending on different goods by insured versus uninsured households, controlling for total spending and demographic characteristics. The analysis shows that uninsured households, on average, spend more on housing, food, alcohol, and tobacco compared to insured households. These results suggest that both prices and preferences, in addition to income, help explain why some households do not buy coverage; the findings also raise the possibility that the uninsured may lack coverage in part because they face higher prices for basic needs like housing and food.
本研究利用消费者支出调查的数据，比较了参保家庭与未参保家庭在不同商品上的支出情况，并对总支出和人口特征进行了控制。分析表明，与参保家庭相比，未参保家庭在住房、食品、酒精和烟草上的平均支出更多。这些结果表明，除了收入之外，价格和偏好也有助于解释为什么一些家庭不购买保险；研究结果还提出了一种可能性，即未参保者可能部分因为面临住房和食品等基本需求的较高价格而缺乏保险覆盖。
